JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. -- Amid ongoing rumors spreading around the community a month after the shooting at Evergreen High, deputies in Jefferson County on Friday released new information they hope will bring clarity into their ongoing investigation.
"We continue to receive questions about this tragic event, and we hear your frustration. Our investigators are working non-stop on this case to ensure they leave no stone unturned," spokespeople for the sheriff's office wrote in a news release, in which they stressed some information can't be released to the public just yet as it could compromise the investigation.
Since the shooting on Sept. 10, rumors surrounding the incident have circulated on social media, prompting many around the community to share information that has not yet been confirmed by law enforcement.
On Friday, deputies sought to clarify some of what's been shared to "help put some of the rumors to rest."
"When there are gaps in information being shared, people tend to create their own narrative based on speculation," the spokespeople wrote. "We strongly discourage community members from spreading rumors and unconfirmed information, which causes unnecessary fear and panic."
School Resource Officer (SRO) misconceptions
One of the rumors going around is that the shooter waited for a Jefferson County Sheriff's Office deputy to leave the school before carrying out the attack.
That's not what happened, deputies said Friday.
The spokespeople said that the deputy assigned to Evergreen and Conifer High Schools was on the Evergreen campus the morning of the incident but left for Conifer High prior to the shooting. After arriving to that campus, he was then dispatched to a nearby car accident but did not make it to that call because the call about the shooting came in and he returned to Evergreen High.
"We have no evidence or indication that the shooter waited for the deputy to leave the school before carrying out the attack," the spokespeople said.
Could having an SRO on campus prevented the tragedy that day? "Unfortunately, that is something we will never know," they said, citing national data which shows that it is rare for an SRO or armed security to be the first to engage a shooter. "In most cases, the shooter is stopped by responding officers or they take their own life before they are confronted."
Deputy response rumors
Deputies also brought a question that's been asked about why deputies from the nearby sheriff's office Mountain Precinct did not respond to either the car accident or the school during the shooting.
"Deputies do not wait at substations for calls to come in. They are actively patrolling the community," the spokespeople wrote. "Some of the deputies in the area were enroute to the car accident, while others were handling other calls or patrolling neighborhoods."
They added that when a call of an active shooter comes in, "every available deputy will stop what they are doing and get to the scene as quickly as possible."
Clarifying information about the firearm used by the shooter
While they cannot yet release information about how the shooter obtained the revolver-style handgun he used in the shooting, deputies said some residents have questioned whether the time it takes to reload a revolver is consistent with the response timeline.
"It is," they said. "Surveillance video from the school showed the shooter was able to reload in seconds."
Rumor of a "hit list" created by the shooter
Since the shooting, there's also been a rumor that the shooter had a "hit list" with the names of people he was allegedly hoping to target that day, but the spokespeople said they have "found no evidence of any such list through the course of the investigation."
Safe2Tell and prior reports about the shooter through the FBI
Sheriff's deputies also addressed questions about why they did not act on reports of concerning behavior by the shooting in the years before the incident.
"To clarify: The only Safe2Tell report the Sheriff's Office received involving the shooter was made three days after the event. We have no record of any prior reports or complaints involving this individual," the spokespeople said.
The spokespeople also addressed information about concerning social media posts tied to the shooter in the months leading up to the shooting. As Denver7 has reported, the FBI was investigating social media accounts connected to the 16-year-old boy two months before the shooting.
The shooter's alarming online activity, which began in December of last year, showed he was active on a gore forum where users watch videos of killings and violence mixed in with content on white supremacism and antisemitism, according to a report released last month.
But because the FBI wasn't able to identify the individual behind those accounts, "there was no probable cause for arrest or additional law enforcement action at the federal level," an FBI spokesperson said at the time.
"In these cases, law enforcement must obtain warrants to request information from social media platforms. By law, these companies have up to 35 days to respond to each warrant, and typically two or three warrants are needed to determine who made a post and from where," the spokespeople said Friday, adding that process was still underway when the shooting occurred.
Deputies said the delay "is a limitation of the current legal system," and added that Jefferson County Sheriff Reggie Marinelli "is currently drafting a federal bill to address these delays, focusing on a mandate to provide faster responses to warrants."
Rumors of a bullet found back in September of last year
The spokespeople also addressed rumors of a bullet which was found in a school stairwell and turned over to school officials in September 2024, for which the school district took a report and notified the sheriff’s office.
"We have no reason to believe that incident had any connection to the shooting that occurred a year later, on September 10, 2025," the spokespeople said.
School lockdown and law enforcement protocols
Deputies also addressed reports that some students and staff reported hearing officers identifying themselves and asking to open doors" during the lockdown of the campus - a request that goes against lockdown protocols, as deputies use school-provided keys to prevent a potential shooter from fooling students or staff from providing them access to a classroom.
"Upon reviewing tapes, there were law enforcement officers who announced their presence," the spokespeople said. "We strive for consistency in our training, but we realize that the intent of all law enforcement officers present that day was to ensure students’ safety."
Response timeline criticism
The sheriff’s office also addressed criticism their agency has received of a 2-minute “delay” from when the first 911 call went out to when the first unit was dispatched.
"Let’s put this into perspective for you. Notice that the first 911 call lasted about 40 seconds. It takes time to gather information from someone, especially when they are in crisis," they said, adding, "Response times are always longer in mountain communities due to terrain, smaller roadways, and greater distances between places."
They then provided the following timeline of emergency response based on Jeffcom 911 records, as well as the timeline of the shooter’s movements based on school surveillance video:
This is the timeline of emergency response - based on Jeffcom 911 records:
- 12:21:14 - First shot fired inside the school
- 12:21:56 - Lockdown initiated by school staff
- 12:22:15 - First call came into 911 - a call-taker gathered information.
- 12:22:59 - Call transferred into a queue on a computer for dispatchers to then dispatch (Deputies can also see that queue. Based on the nature of the call, our first deputy began heading toward the school immediately (12:23:00), before it was officially dispatched.)
- 12:23:17 - Call opened and read by dispatcher
- 12:24:01 - Call toned and aired to patrol
- 12:24:09 - First responding unit was officially dispatched.
- 12:24:26 - Another deputy self-deployed toward the school.
- 12:27:22 - First unit on scene (this is a 3-minute response time - we originally stated 2.5 minutes)
- 12:30:29 - Deputy confronts gunman at gunpoint
Shooter's movements - based on school surveillance video:
- 12:21:14 - First shot inside the school
- 12:21:26 - First shot at an individual
- 12:21:40 - First victim shot
- 12:23:30 - Shooter exits the building
- 12:23:30 - 12:26:21 - Shooter looks for people and then tries to get back into the school through several doors
- 12:27:21 - Shooter walks/runs across the track moving NE, then goes out of camera view
- 12:30:29 - Gunman at gunpoint confronted by deputy
- 12:31:37 - Life-saving measures started by deputies on the second victim
- 12:33:24 - Suspect reported down by self-inflicted wound
Note: The shooter either walked or ran throughout the school and fired several rounds at individuals as he encountered them and reloaded the gun several times as he moved.
Other county leaders address ongoing frustration following the shooting
Denver7 is also listening to parents and students who say not enough is being done to address safety following the Sept. 10 shooting at Evergreen High School. During a Board of Education meeting Wednesday, leaders with Jeffco Public Schools said safety plans for the district in the wake of the shooting are moving forward but acknowledged those frustrations from the community.
"As the investigation continues, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office will share verified information with the community as we are able,"
the spokespeople said in closing."We appreciate your patience, understanding, and continued support."
Deputies said anyone struggling in the aftermath of the shooting can contact the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Victim Services Unit at 303-271-5339 or victimservices@jeffco.us.
Residents can also call or text the Colorado Mental Health Line at 988. This resource is available 24/7/365 for general mental health support in addition to crisis support.